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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Day 8 of the Challenge

I've stalled. Waking up at 4 a.m. three mornings in a row with a headache tends to dampen my creative thoughts. Writing today's blog post is a step in the right direction to establishing a daily habit of writing every day.

Day 8 of the You Are a Writer Challenge is about "The Difference Between Starting and Building." I started an online magazine, Glory and Strength.com in March 2009. Given what Jeff has to say about starting and building, I've done my share of both over the past 3 years as I've worked to grow the magazine. Each year as December rolled around, I've questioned myself about whether or not to continue the magazine--people weren't subscribing, few were reading, writers weren't submitting. My budget didn't allow advertising the magazine, which meant no one was really learning about its existence except through friends. A vicious circle that has kept Glory and Strength in relative oblivion.

But each December as I considered whether to continue, God always brought an encouraging word or two from those who were reading. And that's what it really is all about--reaching people with our message and making their lives better. Granted we'd like to reach millions rather than just a few, but as the Bible encourages us in Zechariah 4:10, we should not despise small beginnings.

I've been learning the magazine business through trial and error, and doing a lot of reading. It's been through this Great Writers series by Goins that I've realized my own thoughts, fears, and lack of writing discipline have kept Glory and Strength's outreach small. Today, all that changes.